Ningxia - Day 2

Tuesday 6:45pm

Hello!  Today was not quite as busy as yesterday.  We went to the notary office this morning which only took about an hour or so.  We have to go back later tomorrow to make sure the paperwork is translated correctly.  We signed a bunch of papers and then we went to the park.

Saiya didnt really like the park very much.  She was clinging to me the entire time.  The guide said it was because she was never outside at the orphanage.  Hopefully with time and some encouragement from her cousins she will come to love being outside.  She does not do very well in open spaces, its almost like she is afraid she will get lost.  We walked by a small child riding on her dad's shoulders and we thought maybe Saiya would want to try.  So we put her up on Chris's shoulders and she sat there for about 5 seconds and then started crying.  Oh, how the world changed!  After that, he was evil incarnate!  Every time he went near her, she would cry!  Poor kid.  Such a mean daddy!

We found a rather large play ground and I thought that with other kids around she might be interested in playing on the swings or slides.  We wandered around there and tried a few things, but most of the time she was all pouty faced.  You would have thought we were trying to kill her when we attempted the slide.  Oh, man, can she scream!  LOL  Poor kid.  We tried the swings, and she did ok there, but we might have to shelve our play set plans until she comes around to the idea of playing outside.

So, the orphanage didnt give us any clothes for her but what she was wearing.  She had these white shoes with bright red hearts on the toes.  These shoes are so... "ungodly" as Chris put it.  I looked at her shoes and her poor toes were so scrunched up in them, but every time we took them off of her in the hotel room, she would go and put them back on.  LOL  She LOVES those shoes.  So, today, after the park, we went to the department store to get some baby shampoo, baby wipes, and yes, new shoes.  OMG!  The new shoes are about an INCH bigger than the ones she was cramming her foot into!  As soon as we put them on her, she was all smiles and tap dancing!  I can only imagine how log she has been wearing the other ones, and probably through no fault of the orphanage...  she absolutely loves those ugly shoes!

As you can see from most of the pictures, she doesnt go anywhere without Yoshi.  Yoshi has a twin we sent in a care package back in March.  As soon as she saw Yoshi at the adoption meeting at the orphanage, she has clung to him.  he is never too far from her side, he even colors with her!  She is doing so great!  She is starting to pick up a little english here and there.  She understands alot of what we say, even though we speak chinglish to her most of the time.  We dont really have any commuication problems with her.  She is great about dressing herself, keeping herself entertained, and going potty by herself.  :)  We really can't wait to get home so she can meet her cousins and get into a normal routine.  But other than that, we are all doing great!